Circuit closer for vehicle signals



1,628,801 E. A. OFFET CIRCUIT CLOSER FORIVEHICLE SIGNALS May '17, 1927.

Filed Oct. 6. 1920 Patented May 17, 1927.

EDWIN ALBERT OFFET, O13 TOLEDO, OHIO.

CIRCUIT CLOSER FOR VEHICLE SIGNALS.

Application filed. October 6, 1920.

My invention relates to circuit closers for vehicle signals and particularly for such signaling devices as are adapted to he urranged upon an automobile to indicate changes of direction of the car, to the driver of a following car.

The object of my invention is to provide a device as mentioned which will autoniiatically operate the signal upon turning the car without any attention on the part of the driver. Other objects will appear here inafter.

My invention'will he more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which,

The figure is a detail plan view of the steering mechanism of an automobile illustrating the circuit; closures applied thereto.

Referring; now to the drawings. 2 indicates the front axle and 3 the usual steering rod of an automobile.

Secured to and insulated from the front axle 2, is a contact member 14;, and fixed to the steering rod 3 are contact members 15 and 16 insulated from each other and from the steering: rod. as indicated at- 17 The contact member 14; is connected as by wire 18 to the usual battery or other source of energy, and the contacts 15 and 16 are flexible or yieldinc members and are connected by the wires l!) and 20 respectively to the respect ve signals to be operated so that upon turning the car either to the right or Serial No. 415,043.

left the proper signals are automatically actuated to indi etc the direction in. which the vehicle is turning. By this arrangement it will be noted that the flexible contacts are always in the path of relative movement of the fixed contact on the axle so that irrespective of any torsional movement: between the axle and the steering rod the contacts will always on; upon turning the car. This is of particular advantage in traveling over rough and uneven roads where there is frequently a torsional inoven'ient between the axle and the steering rod.

I claim In a circuit closer for closing the circuits to directional. signals, the combination ot the usual axle and steering rod of an automobile with a fixed contact: on said axle and a pair of "lexible contacts on the steering rod arranged to selectively and positively engg i ig'e said fixed contact upon movement of the s eering rod, said last mentioned eon tacts extending forwardly from the steering rod and then bent outwardly in opposite directions and parallel to the rod whereby contact is made upon a predetermined minimum movement of; the steering rod and positively maintained irrespective of the amount of movementthereot, substantially as described.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s iiecification, 

